ICC extends Sunset+Vine partnership ahead of World Cup

The International Cricket Council has agreed a four-year extension to its partnership with sports production and media company Sunset+Vine.

The new contract, which runs from 2020 to 2023, covers all live event production services for ICC TV, excluding the 2021 T20 World Cup and 2023 World Cup, both of which will be held in India.

In total, the deal covers 11 tournaments, including men’s and women’s T20 World Cups; the Women’s World Cup; the Under 19 World Cup and the inaugural World Test Championship, as well as the various qualifiers for these tournaments. They will take place across seven host destinations – Australia, England and Wales, South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies, Zimbabwe and the UAE.

In addition, Sunset+Vine will produce daily highlights packages for all events. The contract was awarded under competitive tender and follows on from S+V’s last agreement in December 2015, which runs from 2016 to 2019 and takes in the forthcoming World Cup in England and Wales as its last major event.

Aarti Dabas, head of media rights, broadcast and digital at the ICC, said: “When we decided to take ICC’s live production in-house for the first time, four years ago, we partnered with Sunset+Vine to help ensure that we could maintain world class production values and continue to deliver innovative and engaging content to our broadcasters, media rights partners and fans around the world. The increased engagement with the live coverage and other content are a testament to our partnership.

“The next four-year cycle of ICC events provides a challenge to us all to continue innovate the way we present cricket to a growing global audience, giving cricket’s one billion-plus fans an engaging and entertaining product.”

Sunset+Vine has won 26 major broadcast awards for its cricket coverage, as well as introducing innovations such as the Red Zone, Snickometer, the Analyst, Hawk-Eye and the ultra slomo camera.